https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/handheld.html
Handheld two-way radios for preppers
(and other curious folks)
Written by lcamtuf@coredump.cx.
1. Introduction
This document is essentially a short, FAQ-style addition to the
common-sense emergency preparedness guide that I published back in
2016. I decided to put this FAQ together because handheld two-way
radios are often seen as one of the staples of any survival kit - and
with the advent of low-cost devices such as BaoFeng UV-5R, more and
more folks are deciding to take the leap.
At the same time, I feel that the understanding of the
characteristics of these radios in the emergency preparedness
community is fairly poor - in part because the need for licensing
often discourages casual experimentation. In the end, many folks end
up adding such radios to their 72-hour kits or evacuation bags "just
in case", without trying them out and without fully understanding the
limitations or the capabilities of this tool.
I'm by no means an expert, but I'm fairly sure that the notes
collected here are accurate, and that they go well beyond what you
can find on a typical prepping blog.
2. Do I need a handheld radio?
There is the oft-repeated mantra of "better to have it and not need
it than to need it and not have it" - but that justification can be
used to max out your credit cards or take a second mortgage to pay
for ballistic vests, night vision goggles, and a getaway boat. In the
end, any funds we divert to such purchases cut into our bottom line,
and we need to carefully consider not just the very speculative
benefits, but the inevitable opportunity cost.
In the event of a prolonged power outage, two-way radios can be a
wonderful way to stay connected with friends or relatives who live
nearby, or to stay in touch with household members when running local
errands. On the flip side, there seems to be less merit in talking to
strangers in faraway lands: in a major disaster, most of them won't
be able and won't be inclined to help. Emergency radio chatter is
seldom particularly informative, too: it is a rumor mill not much
different from what you can see on Facebook or on Nextdoor - except
that in an outage, there is no way to quickly fact-check the claims.
It is also worth noting that many cell towers and virtually all telco
central offices have backup power, so you do not necessarily lose the
ability to communicate the moment the lights go out on your block.
The emergency power will not last forever, but neither do most
outages; in the short haul, investing in a UPS for your modem and
wifi router may be a better bet than buying radios and then trying to
reach your friends.
Finally, especially when it comes to ham radio, you should ask
yourself if you and your potential contacts have any interest in
actually learning the craft; the radios can be finicky and there is a
fairly steep learning curve, so it's not something you want to deal
with while holding a flashlight, unable to search the Internet for
tips. And if a friend or a relative is not monitoring the frequency,
there is no guarantee that anybody else will; if you just want the
ability to call for help, a satellite communicator such as Garmin
inReach, or a distress beacon (PLB), may be a a safer choice.
3. What if I just want to listen to first responders?
Most government agencies have moved to trunked systems, which use
digital signaling to allocate small time slices on a set of shared
frequencies; if you tune in to one such frequency with a basic
receiver, all you're gonna hear are bits and pieces of conversations,
mixed with angry modem noises. You might be able to infer some
meaning from this, but it won't be much.
Further, many such systems have gone all-digital (P25 or otherwise),
and cheap handhelds are not able to decode this traffic at all - not
even the bits and pieces of audio you'd hear in the mixed-mode
systems of the old. And finally, many urban and suburban police
departments have transitioned to AES-encrypted comms, where even a
specialized trunk-tracking scanner won't do.
This is not to say that you are definitely out of luck; there may be
some older, single-frequency systems in use in your region. For
example, in some places, your state police, highway patrol, or rural
sheriffs may be still on single-frequency FM systems. But the bulk of
urban and suburban first responder traffic is out of reach to a
person equipped with a BaoFeng.
4. What's the actual range of a handheld radio?
In urban high-rise environments, the range of handhelds is very
modest: vertically, you might be able to clear anywhere from 5 to 20
floors in a building; horizontally, 2-5 city blocks if you're
standing on the street.
In suburban areas, direct handheld-to-handheld communications are
usually feasible within 1 to 2 miles, depending on housing density
and terrain. It can be considerably less if there are hills or office
buildings in the way.
Finally, in sparsely-populated rural regions, a range of 3-4 miles is
usually possible - although again, it can be less if there are hills
or dense forests in the way.
In exceptional circumstances, such as transmitting from a hill or a
tall building overlooking a rural valley, you can get as much as
20-40 miles; this is the basis for the extraordinary marketing claims
for some "blister pack" radios. In the real world, such results are
rare.
5. Can I buy a more powerful handheld to improve range?
In short, not really.
The upper limit on the range of handhelds is largely a matter of
physics: for most part, radio waves propagate in straight lines and
are absorbed by stuff that's in the way. The usual distance to the
horizon from the vantage point of a six foot tall person is around 3
miles. Past that point, things begin to slide "below" the horizon and
end up in the largely impenetrable radio shadow of the planet we all
walk on.
In urban and suburban environments, the horizon is not your only
worry, too. Not only is the signal from your radio attenuated when
crossing through drywall or masonry, but the longer the distance it
has to travel, the more likely it is to eventually encounter a much
less permeable obstacle along the way - a metal garage door, a major
appliance, or simply the grand sum of all the household wiring and
piping along the path. There is also an incrementally higher chance
that the faint transmission will be drowned out by a source of
interference that is closer to the recipient; motors, light dimmers,
motion sensors, fluorescent and LED fixtures, TVs, computers, and car
ignition systems are just some of the things to worry about.
In other words, while transmit power can make some difference, the
payoff tends to be disappointing; for example, switching from a 2 W
handheld to a 5 W one is unlikely to increase your range in the
suburbs by more than 30%; and going from 5 W to 8 W is mostly just a
way to more quickly discharge your battery.
In the end, with the current battery technology and other practical
constraints, such as the desire to not give you RF burns, the
transmit power of around 5 W is generally seen as the sane maximum
for a handheld device.
6. Can I change the antenna to improve range?
Possibly, but do not expect miracles. And there is a very real
trade-off: the antenna is gonna be big.
Most handhelds come with antennas that are somewhere around 3" to 5"
long; that's considerably less than what would be optimal for the
frequencies they are transmitting on. It's an intentional trade-off,
because long antennas are cumbersome, and very few people want to
carry a handheld with a three-foot whip sticking out. Another factor
is more subjective: consumers associate stubby, injection-molded
antennas with high-tech gadgets operating in the gigahertz range; and
conversely, they see long and skinny antennas - especially of the
telescoping kind - as something outdated and cheap.
That said, if you are willing to make your radio a bit more unwieldy,
switching to a 13" antenna (e.g., Diamond SRH320A) is a pretty
reasonable way to make sure that more of the energy pumped out by
your transceiver is actually turned into radio waves. It still won't
get you past the horizon, but it should improve your reach in
built-up areas - perhaps by as much as 20-30%.
On the flip side, if you see stubby antennas advertised as having
some wondrous properties, don't waste your money. It's almost
certainly not gonna work.
7. So, can I actually talk to people more than 3-4 miles away?
Yes, if you get high! Put down the bong, though. If you elevate the
antenna, you accomplish two things. First, your horizon moves farther
away - you can see almost seven miles out by the time you climb to 30
feet. But just as importantly, the straight-line propagation path
between you and other people no longer hugs the ground, and can clear
many low obstacles along the way.
In practical terms, there are three things you can do to achieve this
effect:
* You can just try climbing a hill, getting on top of a parking
structure, or something else like that. This is obviously not
very convenient, but it is a solid "life hack" if all other
methods fail.
* If one of the radios stays home, you can mount a stationary
antenna on a pole or on the roof, then hook it up to a handheld
or a stationary transceiver. Even installing it in the attic is
better than nothing, if your HOA or your city frowns upon visible
radio gear.
* Finally, you can use a relay, also known as a repeater. Repeaters
are present in almost every populated area in the US, and are
often installed on mountaintops or on tall buildings. The
repeater simply listens to traffic on its input frequency, and
then broadcasts it on an output frequency. Because the path from
your handheld to the repeater (and vice versa) no longer hugs the
ground, this method can dramatically extend your range, basically
for free. (On the flip side, repeaters can be damaged by storms,
hurricanes, earthquakes, and so on; and while some do have
emergency power, others do not.)
The practical upper limit to your range when using these techniques
is hard to predict, but probably peaks at around 20-30 miles in
densely populated areas, and 40-60 miles in rural valleys. More might
be sporadically possible, and sometimes you can find linked repeaters
or other clever contraptions of the sort that can get you heard 200+
miles away, but don't count on that.
8. But I hear stories of amateurs making contacts around the globe?
Yeah, but not with handhelds. Without the use of repeaters, there is
no good way to "see" past the horizon on the frequencies that can be
efficiently transmitted on with the kinds of antennas you can put on
a handheld.
There is a range of lower frequencies, in the HF band, that can
bounce off the ionosphere or propagate through ground currents and
reach locations hundreds or thousands of miles away. But the
wavelengths involved call for large, stationary antennas that are the
domain of hardcore ham operators. Although such setups can be
"portable", they are portable in the sense that you can load them
into your car, and then deploy them in the field.
There are several oddball handhelds that can transmit on frequencies
where this type of propagation is occasionally possible, but because
of the aforementioned antenna constraints, the approach does not work
all that well.
What you might be able to do with a ham radio handheld is ask other
operators to relay urgent messages for you; within a couple of hops,
you might be able to indirectly reach most places in the country. But
the odds of being able to pull this off go up significantly if you
understand the ham culture and know how to make contacts beforehand.
It is also, of course, possible to put up an antenna mast and
communicate on lower frequencies over much greater distances. That
said, this requires the other party to make a comparably substantial
investment on their end, and doesn't give you the ability to stay
connect when on the move.
9. Are you saying there's no difference between FRS, GMRS, CB, and
ham?
There are no profound differences when it comes to the range of
direct handheld-to-handheld comms. In particular, if you have a GMRS
radio, a ham handheld is not necessarily an upgrade. That said, there
are some marked differences in the "facilities" you find in these
bands, and the types of contacts you are likely to make.
CB radio is an ancient band available to the general public; in the
US, it does not require an explicit license, outside of the
manufacturer's certification for the transceiver itself. You are
limited to 4 W, and there are no repeaters. It uses 40 designated
channels centered around 27 MHz. The low frequency could
theoretically give you better propagation - but also means that most
CB handhelds with small antennas will not be transmitting very
efficiently; the technology is much better suited for vehicles and
homes. Once very popular with all kinds of users, CB is now mostly
the domain of long-haul truckers, who use it as a sort of a chat
room.
It is also worth noting that CB in the US is restricted to AM
modulation, which has lower voice quality and is more prone to
interference than the FM mode used for FRS and GMRS. Perhaps because
of this, in many parts of the country, the CB frequencies are dead -
but where still used, it has a reputation as a uniquely lawless band,
with comparatively higher incidence of mischief and trash talk. There
is a distinctive culture surrounding CB, with its own lingo and a set
of recurring conversation topics. If you call for help on CB
frequencies near a major road, you will probably get help; but for
casual chatter, it's an environment not to everybody's taste.
CB radio manufacturers include Cobra, Midland, Uniden, President
Electronics, Galaxy, and several more.
FRS is basically a category of "family" radios that require no
licensing. The radios operate on a set of 22 designated channels in
the 462-467 MHz territory. Many of the cheapest "blister pack"
walkie-talkies fall into this bucket; their recently-increased power
limit is 2 W, which is still plenty and certainly more than adequate
for staying in touch on a 40 acre farm. There are no bells and
whistles here: you don't have repeaters, there are no digital modes
or texting capabilities, and there is really no FRS community to
speak of. The frequencies are mostly quiet in most parts of the
country, except for the occasional kids messing around with the
walkie-talkies they found under the Christmas tree (and most kids
would rather get a smartphone these days).
GMRS is a "step up" from FRS that allows more transmit power and
permits repeater use. Most of the GMRS channels are shared with FRS.
You need to get "licensed" for it in the US, but the license is
really just a tax: you pay a fee to the FCC and get a piece of paper
for your effort (this is good not just for you, but for your family).
The maximum transmit power for GMRS is 50 W, although most handhelds
on the market stick to around 2 W. GMRS repeaters can be found in
many metro areas, but aren't nearly as common as in the ham radio
bands. There is no discernible GMRS culture that I know of - it
appears to be used mostly for private communications between people
who know each other, much like FRS. It is fairly popular on farms and
in other rural settings, but is largely displaced by cell phones in
places where network coverage is robust.
FRS and GMRS radios are manufactured or marketed by Motorola,
Midland, Cobra, Uniden, DeWALT, and an endless procession of
ephemeral brands from China.
Finally, ham radio is a bit of a different animal. At its core, it's
a license to build almost any equipment you please and transmit in
almost any way you please, on a wide range of frequencies, subject to
some very general ground rules. The license requires passing an exam,
and passing that exam requires spending a day or two to memorize a
bunch of answers - some useful and some silly. It is pretty
straightforward, but you need to do the work.
The ham culture is comparatively sophisticated, with a number of
clubs maintaining repeaters and other infrastructure, with
well-developed on-the-air etiquette, formal emergency response plans
and organizations (ARES / RACES), regional frequency coordinators,
annual conferences and events, etc. Many hams are also fond of
experimenting with digital technologies, including packet networks
and keyboard-to-keyboard comms. The frequencies used by ham operators
generally aren't crowded, but you can hear a fair amount of chatter
in any major metro area if you scan the frequencies for a while.
Other than the license and the community, "ham radio" is also a
shorthand for a range of handheld transceivers, generally operating
on 144-148 MHz or 420/430-450 MHz; the manufacturers include Yaesu,
Icom, Alinco, Kenwood, and a bunch of newer brands from China,
including BaoFeng. These radios range from very basic products that
just transmit FM voice, to very sophisticated units capable of
sending digital voice, digital text messages, GPS beacons, and much
more. The usual maximum transmit power for such handhelds is 5 W.
(There are several other niche types of non-commercial radio systems,
including marine and aircraft VFH, MURS, and so forth; but they are
generally more restricted or less appealing than the options outlined
above; for example, MURS offers just 5 channels and a dearth of
radios to choose from.)
10. Do I really need to get licensed?
Many preppers make the argument that in situations where they would
need the radio, nobody's gonna bother to enforce the rules. But if
you refrain from using your radio until a disaster strikes, you're
going to have a hard time figuring it all out in a stressful
situation where mistakes can potentially cost you quite a bit.
Especially with "bargain bin" radios, it's not uncommon to find out
that they don't properly transmit at all. With ham radio
transceivers, it is also easy to put any radio in an unexpected mode
by pressing the wrong button - and the first time you do that, it's
probably going to take you a while to understand what happened and
how to go back. The manuals are not necessarily helpful, as they
often assume you already know the difference between SSB, NFM, and
WFM, or what "squelch tones", "notch filter", and "VFO" mean. None of
this is insurmountable, but also not a fun thing to do in the light
of a flashlight and with no Internet connection to search for that
stuff.
Finally, it just takes quite a bit of experimentation to see what is
the practical range of your radio in your region, what are the blind
spots, how to use the repeaters near you (keeping in mind that the
lists and settings you find online are seldom 100% accurate)... and
so on, and so on.
And although the FCC doesn't seem to be spending too much energy on
enforcement, it stings when they do come after you. The fines they
hand out are often to the tune of $15,000, plus equipment forfeiture
to boot. So operating without a license does seem like a dumb risk to
take.
11. So... is Baofeng a good radio?
It's the cheapest radio. It is OK for the price, but it is lacking in
some respects; for example, many users complain about the radio being
easily overwhelmed by strong signals on other frequencies. Their QA
also seems hit-and-miss, with some devices having issues with audio.
Even if you don't get a lemon, in all likelihood, you will eventually
want to upgrade.
The cheapest brand-name ham handheld on the market is probably Yaesu
FT-4XR (~$80). The most affordable non-sketchy digital voice option
is likely Alinco DJ-MD40T (~$100). The fanciest popular handheld is
Kenwood TH-D74A ($500 and a change), boasting advanced digital voice,
digital data, and APRS capabilities, along with integrated GPS and a
bunch of other bells and whistles for people who really want to get
into the hobby.
But maybe all you really need is a GMRS radio - in which case,
there's plenty of low-cost products from Midway, Cobra, Motorola, and
other reputable manufacturers. A pair usually costs around $70; if
you need inspiration, Midland GXT1030VP4 is a pretty solid choice.
Don't focus too much on the transmit power; be sure to consider
flexible battery options (such as the ability to use AAs), battery
life, sound quality, water resistance rating, and overall ruggedness.
12. If I go with ham radio, should I get a digital-capable one?
Digital modes are likely the future. Compared to analog voice, they
require less bandwidth, less transmit power, and offer far better
sound quality. Digital modes also generally offer built-in support
for reliable, high-speed data. That said, the timing is a bit
awkward, as there is a bit of a "system war" happening on the amateur
bands.
The three completely incompatible contenders are D-Star (backed by
Kenwood and Icom), C4FM / Fusion (backed by Yaesu), and DMR (not
really championed by anyone for amateur uses, but supported by Alinco
and several other Chinese manufacturers). It is actually difficult to
say who is winning; there is plenty of Fusion-capable repeaters, but
this is largely because the manufacturer is handing them out on the
cheap to local clubs, and because they also work with analog FM
traffic; the actual use of the system seems far lower than the
repeater counts imply. Taking this into account, D-Star and DMR are
probably in the lead when it comes to organic use - and DMR appears
to be growing more rapidly. But the winner is still far from clear -
so there is some risk of betting on the wrong horse, and having to
switch to a completely different system down the line if you want to
be able to talk to other folks.
My only commentary here would be that D-Star and Fusion are developed
with amateurs in mind, and both offer a variety of cool and fairly
intuitive features. Of the two, D-Star has a bit more vendor support
and a more vibrant community, while System Fusion is a tad more
modern. DMR, on the other hand, is a boring, utilitarian system
developed mostly for commercial users, with little consideration for
amateurs - but it certainly benefits from the availability of
sub-$100 radios on the market.
In the end, if you're on a budget, you can probably stick to analog
FM for now, and reevaluate some time down the line. Otherwise, roll
the dice, and be prepared to upgrade in 6-10 years. It's good to
check what types of digital repeaters you have nearby, but all other
things being equal, D-Star may be the horse to bet on if you want
nice radios and cool features to explore, while DMR may be the choice
for folks wanting to bank on the current growth trends.
13. What's up with all the different bands?
If you're buying a ham radio, you're probably gonna run into a
confusing mix of frequencies (in MHz) and wavelengths (in meters or
centimeters). But when it comes to handhelds, all you're probably
going to see is the 144 MHz band (aka "2m") and the 420/430 MHz one
("70cm"). You can also sometimes bump into the 222 MHz band
("1.25m"), but it's comparatively rare.
As noted earlier, handhelds are generally too small to make a good
use of the HF spectrum, where you can get over-the-horizon
propagation and several other perks. On the other side of that
equation, as you get into the microwave territory (1 GHz+), the
signals are very easily attenuated by vegetation, rain, or fog. Given
all the other uses of the spectrum, this leaves the 2m and 70cm bands
as the sweet spot for handheld devices; many radios support both, and
very few support anything more.
Although you see some differences in propagation at different
frequencies within this range, they are not hugely significant, and
you probably shouldn't lose sleep over it. That said, all other
beings equal, the 2m band with a longer antenna can give you an edge
in rural and suburban settings; while the 70cm band is wider, so you
are less likely to bump into others on the frequencies you want to
use.
14. Are there any complicated rules I need to learn?
The ham community can be a bit crotchety, with some clubs being
rather protective of the things they are familiar with and suspicious
of all the new-fangled digital communication modes and such. That
said, you don't really need to integrate; the frequencies are not
crowded, and you are unlikely to step on any toes as long as you are
not being a jerk.
The basic rules you should follow are pretty common-sense:
* Don't "broadcast". Ham radio is about non-commercial,
person-to-person communications. Pirate radio stations are a
no-no, and are probably the most common cause of steep fines.
* Identify yourself properly when transmitting. Just say your
callsign, no need for special lingo - in fact, CB terms, military
slang, and 10-codes are usually frowned upon, especially if you
overdo them. So dial down on "roger that", "over", "10-4", etc.
Using Morse code abbreviations in spoken communications is kinda
silly, too, although some old-timers are fond of them.
* Try to follow the frequency plan for your region, if one exists.
This is mostly so that you don't accidentally interfere with
repeaters, or don't end up hogging two channels by transmitting
on a random frequency in between. The plans aren't too
restrictive and usually leave plenty of room for experimentation.
* The spectrum is shared, so don't claim frequencies as yours and
don't chase away others. When getting started on a new frequency,
it's usually enough to listen for a minute or so. You can also
ask if you want to be super polite.
* Repeaters are basically public squares, so don't monopolize them
and don't use them to do annoying or objectionable things. For
example, using an analog repeater to relay computer-to-computer
data is gonna make folks cranky, as you're making them listen to
modem noises when they are trying to get in touch with their
friends.
Again, outside some urban repeaters, the amateur bands aren't
crowded, and if all you're doing is talking to a friend on a
handheld, nobody is gonna bat an eye, even if you don't follow the
protocol exactly. And in the very unlikely case you bump into some
toxic jerk... just spin the dial and try again.
If you are using repeaters, it is nice to donate to your local club,
even if you do not intend to become a member or otherwise socialize.
The equipment is expensive and needs regular maintenance, and most
clubs are entirely reliant on donations and the goodwill of
volunteers.
Finally, of note to preppers: the FCC has rules against encrypting or
otherwise obscuring the purpose of your communications in the amateur
bands. Using exotic / advanced modulations, such as digital voice
modes, can give you a degree of privacy from operators who don't have
compatible equipment. Ditto for using less common bands, such as
1.25m. But that's about as far as you can take this while sticking to
the rules. Some imported DMR radios do support AES encryption, but
using it can get you in trouble if you're caught.
15. Random links of note
* A list of amateur radio repeaters in the US.
* GMRS repeaters around the world.
* APRS (digital messaging) traffic and relays near you.
* Public safety systems and frequencies in your area.
* Flash cards and practice exams for the ham radio license
(another, annotated version here).
* The ARRL license exam study guide.
* Zoom-based ham radio exam schedule.